The introduction of Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista marked the evolution of various aspects of the Windows client with some reverberating all the way to Windows Server 2008 RTM/SP1. As far as changes to the anti-piracy mitigations set in place are concerned, Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 SP1 both share not only the absent Reduced Functionality Mode (which has made it into Windows 7 Milestone 1), but also the evolution of Volume Activation 2.0. Microsoft made available the Volume Activation 2.0 Technical Guidance for Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 in the past, but at the end of the past week, the resources were republished to the Download Center.

Customers will be able to access documentation focused on the deployment, the operations, the resources available along with the technical attributes, but also information about planning, about the Volume Product Key Groups, and overview and a FAQ of Volume Activation 2.0, as it is now with the latest versions of the Windows client and server operating systems. Of course, Microsoft is highlighting the changes delivered to Volume Activation 2.0 in Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 compared with what was available in the RTM edition of Windows Vista.

The process of obtaining volume license product keys for the two platforms is unchanged, but the Redmond company did introduce changes to KMS Activation Threshold and the way in which KMS hosting is performed. However, the most notable modification comes from the synchronization of Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 in terms of the Reduced Functionality Mode. The latest Windows client and server operating systems now feature similar behavior to Windows XP.

"Microsoft introduced a new notifications-based experience with Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 to differentiate between a genuine and activated copy of Windows and one that is not, and does so in a way that maintains system functionality such as logon, access to the familiar desktop, etc. Reduced Functionality Mode (RFM) has been removed from Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 and replaced with a notifications-based experience. If Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 systems are not activated within the Initial Grace period or an Out of Tolerance Grace period, persistent notifications will alert users of the need to activate," the company revealed.